


Freak

by brunettachoppa687, TTICSY (phantomofthefandoms)



Series: The Things I Could Show You [12]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Abuse, Bullying, M/M, Name Calling, Vlad stands up for Danny~
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 20:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3622695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brunettachoppa687/pseuds/brunettachoppa687, https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomofthefandoms/pseuds/TTICSY
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vlad over hear's some jocks bullying Danny at the Nasty Burger... He doesn't react well...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

“I’m surprised you agreed to come to the Nasty Burger with me, Vlad, didn’t seem like your kinda place.”

Vlad followed Danny into the diner style burger joint, eyeing the place with mild distaste, but mostly curiosity.  “Well, normally it’s not, but this is a nice casual setting for us to grab some lunch.”

Danny laughed as they sat down.  “I’m just glad you agreed at all.  And relax, this place actually has really good burgers~”

They sat down at a booth and went over the menu, Danny encouraging Vlad to try some of the curly fries.  When the waitress came, Danny ignored her obvious flirting with Vlad and simply ordered two specials, double orders of curly fries, and two shakes.  Vlad simply smirked as he asked for his to be vanilla before returning all his attention to Danny, ignoring the waitress completely.  Danny stifled a giggle at her put out expression before standing up again.

“I’ll be right back, just gonna go ahead and grab us some extra napkins.”

Danny made his way up to the counter, giving another waitress a smile as she handed him some napkins and a bottle of ketchup for their table.  He was just about to turn back, when he felt a familiar unwanted presence behind him.

“Well well well, if it isn’t Fenton the Freak~”

//Oh, joy.//

“Hello, Dash,” Danny sighed, turning around to face the quarterback and what looked to be half the team.  Danny really didn’t want to draw more attention to himself and Vlad, he had been hoping they could have a nice lunch together.  “Excuse me…”

Some of the jocks laughed as Dash tripped Danny up on his way past.  “Haha, watch where you’re going, freak!”

Danny ignored them and finally rejoined Vlad at the booth.  He slid in, dumping the napkins and ketchup on the table.  “Sorry about that, ran into some classmates…”

He trailed off as he took in Vlad’s unreadable expression.  “Hey… something wrong?”

Vlad’s mouth twisted in fury.

His eyes zeroed in on the blonde and his cronies.  For the first time in his life, he caught himself thinking:  //Filthy HUMANS...//

Danny frowned, confused and growing concerned by Vlad’s sudden rise in anger.  Was it something he had said?  Done?  Had the waitress come over and bothered Vlad or something?

“What’s wrong?  Do you… Do you want to leave?  Do you not like the place after all?”

Vlad planted his palms on the table and -- ever so gently -- eased himself up.  He slid out from the booth.

He gave Danny a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.  “I’ll be right back, Daniel,” he said.  He placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “No, please.  Don’t get up.”

The billionaire walked around the corner of booths -- all the way over to the place where Dash and his crew had gone to sit.  Vlad stopped in front of their table, a tight smile on his mouth and his back rigid.  “Hello, boys,” he greeted them stiffly.  “May I borrow just a moment of your time?”

Danny paled, sinking slightly in his seat.  “Oh, Vlad, no…”

Vlad gazed down at Dash.  “You, young man,” he said -- eyes going cold as winter.  “What is your name?”

Dash gulped, slightly intimidated by this older man.  Everyone knew who Vlad Masters was in Amity Park, he was practically the town celebrity.  Why was a man like that hanging out HERE?

“D-Dash Baxter, sir.”

“Tell me, Mr. Baxter, would you say you respect your fellow men?”

Dash glanced at his teammates, all of them shrugging and giving him equally lost looks.  He looked towards his buddy Kwan and… Kwan had turned away, almost looking shamed...  Dash’s eyes narrowed in confusion before focusing back on the older man towering before him.

“Uh, well, sure, sir.”

“Would you say the size or disposition of a man makes him any less of one?” Vlad murmured frigidly.

Back at their booth, Danny sunk even lower in his seat, moaning quietly to himself.  Nearly everyone else in the joint had gone quiet, watching the altercation avidly.  Danny just wanted to leave now…

Dash began to sweat a little, getting a bad feeling from this.  “Uh, no, sir?”

“In the context of all of that…”

Vlad’s eyes narrowed.  “What are your thoughts on bullying?” he asked, voice neutral but his expression furious.  “Belittling your fellow man to make yourself seem higher.  It seems shameful.  Childish.  Inhuman, even.  People who do that don’t deserve to be called men.  Don’t you agree?”

“N-no sir.  I mean y-yes sir!  I mean, uh…”

Dash looked at the others helplessly, but they all turned to focus on their food or each other, leaving him floundering.  The boy’s face started to go a little red, a mix of embarrassment and frustration.  What was up with this guy?  Why did he have to come bother them about this stuff while they were eating?  

Back with Danny, their lunch had just arrived from their distracted waitress.  Danny wasn’t even sure if he could stomach the food now, his main concern being Vlad.  Discreetly, he sent a little green spark of plasma to skitter past Vlad’s feet, gaining his and no one else’s attention...

Vlad soundly ignored it.  “DON’T YOU AGREE?” he repeated, clasping his hands behind his straight back.

Dash and his friends jumped in their seats, shocked.  “Y-YES SIR!”

Danny had completely gone invisible, leaving some bills on the table for their food and slipping through the walls.  He needed to leave, now.  Dash hadn’t seen who he had been with earlier, and the moment he saw him with Vlad…

Things would just get worse.  So much worse.

With a heavy sigh he slid into the passenger seat of Vlad’s car, staying invisible as he waited...

Vlad gave an appeased smile to Dash and the others.  “I see… so you agree bullying is shameful and hurtful behavior, unbecoming of men such as ourselves,” he murmured, turning his back on them.  “I am glad we’re of the same OPINION.”

He raised a casual hand in farewell.  “Perhaps I’ll see you around, Mr. Baxter and friends.  Enjoy your meal.”

Dash watched the man go with a pale, shocked expression.  “What… the hell…”

His friends just shrugged, as shaken up as he was.  Only Kwan seemed the most put together.  

“Guess he’s not a fan of bullying.”

Dash frowned, turning to glare at his friend.  “Well, no one in this town has ever cared BEFORE!  Besides, what should he care?  I thought he LIKED football, shouldn’t he be NICE to me?”

“Just because he likes your skills, doesn’t mean he has to like your attitude.”  Kwan replied, taking a bite of his burger.  The other players ducked their heads, the older mans words still ringing in their ears.  Dash turned to look down at his own food, suddenly not feeling so hungry.  The sudden feeling of guilt he felt in the pit of his belly, only made him frown harder.

“Whatever…”


	2. Chapter Two

//What’s taking him so long?  I already paid for the food…//  Danny thought, invisible arms crossed over his chest as he sulked.

Click.

The car door opened.  Vlad stepped into the car -- putting a takeout bag and two lidded cups between them -- and closed the door.

He didn’t take his keys out, though.  

Vlad gently placed his hands in his lap, gazing neutrally out the windshield.  “Why do you run from them?” he asked.

Danny bit his lip, choosing to remain invisible for the time being.  He looked out the window towards the Nasty Burger, watching the football players for a second, before turning back to Vlad.

“Because I’m not ready to stop running.  For so long, I was a nobody.  Before my ghost power, I never even had the courage to even do HALF the stuff I do now.  I was weak, a wimp…  I’m not ready to stand up to them though… It’s too… Too NORMAL now…”

He shook his head, frowning.  “It’s not really that big of a deal.  I’ve been called a freak since middle school…”

“Guess I got used to it.”

He laughed without humor; a hollow, sad sound.  “I guess they’re right though… In the end, I DID become a freak…  I mean, what even AM I?  I don’t even KNOW anymore…”

Vlad was silent for a moment…

Then turned his head, eyes searching imploringly for the soft, nearly undetectable outline of Danny’s invisible form.

“...Switch our roles.”

Danny’s transparent form twitched.  “What?”

Vlad’s eyes narrowed, and he turned completely to face his pupil.  “For so long, I was a nobody.  Before my ghost powers, I never even had half the courage to even do HALF of the things I do now.  I was WEAK.  A WIMP.  I’m not ready to stand up to them though.  It’s too normal now.”

A spark of hurt ignited in his steely eyes -- old wounds reopened by the words.  “It’s not really that big of a deal…” he hissed.  “I’ve been called a freak since middle school.  GUESS I GOT USED TO IT.”

A long moment passed in silence, Vlad’s cold eyes focused on Danny’s wide, invisible ones.

Then -- the older halfa’s face softened slightly, in sorrow.  “...How does that make you feel?” he murmured.

There was a long moment of silence between them, before it was shattered by a soft, heartbroken whine.  Danny’s form flickered into existence, tears running down his face as he gazed up at Vlad with sad, baby blue eyes.  He was curled up on himself in the seat, knees pressed to his chest as he hugged himself.  

“Does it EVER get better?  Does it ever stop hurting less?  Will I ever NOT be afraid?”

His bottom lip quivered as he spoke, tears continuing to leaves tracks on his cheeks.  “I hate this.  I HATE THIS.  I hate feeling like I can’t move on!  I want to move on!”

He shook, reaching out desperately for Vlad, his rock, his only true support and confidence.  “What do I do?  What do I d-do?”

Vlad’s arms came around Danny, embracing him softly.  “Any advice I could give you would be lost on you…” he said with difficulty, his heart aching for his baby badger.  “I went through the exact same thing… and it was hard.  It was painful, and humiliating, for a long time…”

Drawing back slightly, he wiped away Danny’s tears with his thumbs -- gently cupping his cheeks.  “But there is one piece of advice I can give you… if you will hear it,” he murmured.

Danny nodded, eyes looking up at him searchingly, trustingly.

Vlad’s eyes grew hard… insistent, relentlessly trying to reach his pupil.  “Courage... is like a WILDFIRE,” he whispered hotly.  “When it’s small, people will try to step on it.  To snuff it out while they still can.  But when you allow it to grow and flourish, unchecked…!”

His eyes seared red.  “People will flee before it.  And it will consume ALL IN ITS PATH.”

Danny’s eyes were wide in awe, mind whirling with those inspirational words.  Could he do it?  Could he really stand up for himself once and for all?  For once, not be afraid?

And would it really work?

As he watched Vlad, took in his determined and insistent expression, he knew it had to be true.  This is what Vlad had done, what he had accomplished to get where he was now, to move on!  If Vlad could do it… And Vlad seemed so sure that DANNY could to…  Then…

Who was Danny to disappoint his mentor?

He smiled, tears finally passing, as he hugged Vlad tight.  “Thank you…”

Vlad squeezed him back.  “I wish you best of luck in conquering this, my love…” he murmured.  “When that day comes… NO ONE will ever stand in your way again.”

He kissed the top of Danny’s head, running his fingers through his long black hair.  “I can’t wait to see it...”

Releasing him, he picked up the bag of takeout and raised it.  “Now, were you going to help me eat this or not~?” Vlad asked with a playful smirk.

Danny laughed, making grabby hands for the take out bag.  “You better believe it!  I’m about to introduce you to the wonders that is dipping a curly fry into a milkshake~!”


End file.
